TOWN centre traders have slammed shoppers who are littering the streets with chewing gum.

Concerned Clitheroe newsagent David Cowgill said he can count dozens of pieces outside his Market Place shop each day.

And council chiefs have warned that the chewing gum is replacing dog dirt as the biggest pavement menace to hit the streets.

Mr Cowgill said spitting out chewing gum in public places was a "disgraceful habit."

"I'm not saying people shouldn't chew gum, just not spit it out. It can't be hygienic, the streets look dirty and it sticks to shoes and gets trailed into shops.

"There's nothing worse than trying to clean the chewing gum up. Why can't people use dustbins?" he said.

Ribble Valley Council chief engineer Graham Jagger said the discarded chewing gum was turning street cleansing into a nightmare. "It's an awful problem. It is impossible to remove the gum from pavements, even by mechanical means, and it is an increasing problem.

"People feel they have the right to spit chewing gum out in the street for some reason and we are asking them to use dustbins or wrap it up and take it home.

"It is an absolute nuisance and makes the town look untidy," he said.

Clitheroe Chamber of Trade president Nigel Pratt, who runs a town centre travel agency, said the chewing gum problem was a constant gripe with his members.

"In the summer it melts and is horrendous. I have had to clean it from the carpets in my shop the past.

"This matter is constantly being mentioned by my members. People shouldn't spit the stuff out and it's as simple as that. We ask people to stop this habit before the town centre is turned into a complete mess."

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